Protect
by CrisisChild
Summary: Caught in a blast, Sephiroth suddenly finds himself in Nibelheim a decade in the past. His only link to his time is a familiar boy with spiky blond hair and big blue eyes… Time Travel. AU. Drabble series. Companion to Promises.
1. Prologue

**Title:** Protect

**Author:** CrisisChild

**Summary:** Caught in a blast, Sephiroth suddenly finds himself in Nibelheim a decade in the past. His only link to his time is a familiar boy with spiky blond hair and big blue eyes… Time Travel. AU. Drabble series. Companion to Promises.

**Rate:** K

**Beta'd:** Nope

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Sephiroth, Cloud or any part of the FFVII Compilation. I just write fic for fun.

**Author's Note:** This is a companion story to Promises, which has Sephiroth go back in time at the same time as Cloud does, although he ends up in a different part of the past. Eventually, the two fics will converge. It shall be fun.

**PROLOGUE – SEPHIROTH'S SIDE**

Sephiroth had made a promise to be a bit more approachable. It was rather difficult, because he didn't have to do anything, except _breathe_, and people would be sent running in the opposite direction. However, he had told himself that he would become a little more agreeable around others, if only to serve his own purposes. The general had an objective to fulfill and as loathe as he was to do it, it was for the company and Sephiroth knew little else.

SOLDIER was holding a special mentorship program for one whole month, with each member of First Class taking on one student to train and bond with, who wasn't already in SOLDIER. In other words, for one whole month every elite First would be forced to spend time with a SOLDIER _cadet_. It was meant as an exercise in training techniques for the SOLDIERs, as well as a way to create some bonds with their future comrades in arms (and to scout the talent before it atrophied in the hands of unmotivated teenagers and their equally unimpressive instructors). Of course, at this point, most of the Firsts who wanted to be a mentor already had their eyes on certain cadets. The rest of them were as apathetic as Sephiroth on the whole matter.

Well, he _had_ been apathetic about it.

While making his rounds, he came across a young cadet; he was smaller than most, but he was surprisingly resilient. Whatever task he had been given he would finish it, even if he were the last to do so. Many in the boy's position would have given up, but he persevered through sheer determination. It was admirable.

His name was Cloud Strife.

His name intrigued the general, for the fact that such names were not entirely common. He had heard of someone with the same name in the past, but that was years ago…long before this boy had ever been born. Cloud was such a peculiar name, but it suited the boy somewhat, as whimsical as it sounded. Sephiroth kept an eye on the boy.

Not all the time, mind you, but young Cloud had sparked the general's interest, which had pulled him into auditing some of his classes when he had spare time. Cloud was always dead last, but it did not deter him. In fact, the boy seemingly doubled his efforts if things didn't look his way. Sephiroth almost found himself exhausted just looking at him go at it with all he had.

Such a strange boy. He made the Silver General do strange things.

Never once had Sephiroth ever said anything positive to a cadet – he normally reserved anything resembling praise on his own SOLDIER Firsts – but one time, during a practical class, he marched up to the boy and told him he had potential and to work hard. It was meant as encouragement, just a small spark of hope that would help Cadet Strife in the days to come, because things would only get harder as time progressed. Sephiroth liked seeing Cloud improve and work through everything on his own – it was refreshing to watch.

Zack noticed this habit of his…'Cloud watching', he called it.

"You interested in him?" asked the Third, jokingly.

"Perhaps," was Sephiroth's cool answer. He gave out nothing more than that. He had learned early on that if one gave out too much information to Zack Fair, one might be found in the middle of one of his meddling plans. Of course, even though he had only given a one word answer, Zack was intent on bringing them together.

"I hear there's a mentorship program thing coming up, sir. Maybe we could set-up some interviews for you to pick and choose someone who won't get on your nerves?"

Zack was much too blatant at times, but Sephiroth gave a vague 'I'll think about it' as an answer, to which the Third would just take as a 'yes'.

"I'll set you up with your first appointment soon, general!"

Sephiroth had a feeling that Zack meant with Cloud Strife, since the two – as it turned out – knew one another. Now the question was…should he really let Zack get away meddling? Or should Sephiroth intervene before things got out of hand?

He didn't really need thinking about it.

Sephiroth went ahead and made sure that Zack was too busy to try and meddle. He would eventually come to call on young Cloud. Cloud was a boy with great potential, even if very few others had the clarity to see it and Sephiroth would have the satisfaction of cultivating the boy's inherent talents himself. There was nothing like the satisfaction of a job well done.

There was to be a material fusion test, the one day he had no missions for Zack to do and the general was sure that the Third Class SOLDIER was chatting his friend up once more, probably buttering the boy up to the idea of working with Sephiroth. Probably. This was Zack, after all; unpredictable and with the attention span of a young pup. At this point, he could have forgotten his promise to bring cadet and general together in…whatever it was Zack had decided to label them as in his mind. Possibly. Maybe. Damn that Fair and his inability to have his actions be determined with simple probability.

There were shouts in the material fusion room. Distressed shouts of fright and urgency that could be heard by any of the enhanced SOLDIERs within a half mile radius. The sounds drove Sephiroth's legs to go faster, his coat flaring angrily behind him as he rushed to the aid of the scientists in the room. But he as a moment to late as the door slid open and he, too, was caught in the blast with everyone. He was blown right out of the room and smashed against a glass window that cracked, but did not break.

Sephiroth slid down, feeling dazed, his body tingling with an odd sensation. He couldn't move his body…did something happen to his motor functions? He couldn't even twitch or blink. His vision was blurred, too…he could barely see a blue shape in the distance…there was yellow…bright…like a chocobo's golden feathers…

"…..Cloud?"

It was the last thing Sephiroth muttered before everything went black.


	2. Coming To

**Title:** Protect

**Author:** CrisisChild

**Summary:** Caught in a blast, Sephiroth suddenly finds himself in Nibelheim a decade in the past. His only link to his time is a familiar boy with spiky blond hair and big blue eyes… Time Travel. AU. Drabble series. Companion to Promises.

**Rate:** K

**Beta'd:** Nope

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Sephiroth, Cloud or any part of the FFVII Compilation. I just write fic for fun.

**Author's Note:** Let the drabbles begin!

**Coming To**

**Prompt: Why Me?**

Never in his life, did Sephiroth ever suddenly black out without some kind of strange substance and Hojo being involved. Never in his life did he just simply let himself lay in, staring at his hand next to him, as it faded in and out of focus. He could see the bedding through his hand…

Sephiroth frowned. No, _under_ his hand. _Under_. That was what he meant.

Groaning, he blinked his eyes of the bright light streaming into it. He covered his face with that see-through hand, glad when it was in fact solid. Oh, this was not his day.

**Prompt: Remember**

What had happened? Where was he? The general tried to recall what had gone on before he woke up in this unfamiliar place.

He had…been walking, yes. No, no, no…_running_. He had heard distressed noises coming from far away. Sephiroth had rushed there as quickly as he could to rescue the scientists there and had been caught in the ensuing blast from an experiment gone wrong.

It wasn't hard to piece together that Sephiroth had been injured while charging headlong into the material fusion room. However, what he couldn't recall was how he had arrived in this rustic looking house.

**Prompt: Face**

When all of his faculties came rushing back to him, Sephiroth realized that there was someone staring at him, by his bedside. Old habits had the general tensing, ready to strike out at whoever had brought him to this house against his will – was this kidnapping, he wondered – but it was just a child staring up curiously at him. Just his head, or half of it. A little face peering over the bedding with the biggest pair of blue eyes he had ever seen.

They held each other's gaze.

Then it clicked. Those eyes…

It couldn't be…

"Are you…_Cloud_?"


End file.
